The world needs for wide-body freighter aircraft as the demand for air cargo is on the rise. But it is not easy to get cargo aircraft. There is an inordinate delay in the production of wide-body freighters and in the passenger to freighter conversion programmes. Boeing is building a new generation wide-body production freighter which is expected to be a replacement for the B747-400F. But the freighter is in the making and it is not going to be available for commercial flying any time before 2027.

At the air cargo China and transport logistic China exhibition and conference in Shanghai, Reji John, Editor, STAT Media Group, interviews John Perdoch, Director, Product Marketing – Freighters at Boeing, to understand the current status of the B777-8F in terms of design and production. Perdoch talks about the proposed timelines and what customers can expect from this new generation freighter. He also talks about how it compares and competes with the Airbus A350F which is another new generation wide-body freighter expected to hit the market in 2026.